I can’t remember what you said at Axpona. What is the function of the FPGA in the PMG DAC?
I liked the review. Even though I am a boomer I find it refreshing to watch a review from a knowledgeable critic who wasn’t born in the middle of the last century. It was well thought out and I was glad to learn that there will be upgrades via the internet. With the installation of the PMG preamp my system has reached a quality playback level I never thought I would be able to hear in my own system. Paul has stated that that the PMG DAC will have an even larger impact than the pre. If that is the case, I will be living in my media room !
I think you are generally unaware of how modern media works. If you need it to be more obvious, watch the next iphone release. The day new iphones are announced there’s ususally a wave of Youtube reviews, all of which have had the phone for months.
Jay probably would have preferred to have this longer, but don’t think he’s only had it for a week because his release came out before the public release. It’s possible since he’s had one since Axpona, or shortly after.
Jay frequently discusses PS Audio’s house sound in his review.
Who’s able to give a good description of this house sound?
Good question. I’ll be interested in the answer. In my experience, PSA does not exhibit a “house" sound.
Good clean detail. Nice stage and presentation.
Nothing colored as to sound unique per say like Mac etc.
It’s weird that Jay was so praiseworthy of the new Eversolo Play when the UK pub What HiFi gave it a very poor review for SQ. Dont know who to believe on this disconnect. Makes me question the other reviews like PMG DAC.
IMHO: PS Audio absolutely, 100% had a “house sound”. I have owned stacks of PS Audio equipment since I purchased the P300 new shortly after it’s release. I don’t have the ability to put it into words how it sounded, perhaps someone more erudite and eloquent than I can. I will only say on multiple occasions I have blindly and from a distance been able to pick out when a single piece of PS Audio gear is in a system. I have demonstrated to friends I can find the PS Audio room at audio shows without reading a directory or signage simply by the sound of music spilling into the hall.
I’m using past tense here because to my ear the PMG series now sounds radically different. So much so I wonder how synergistic it will sound with older PS Audio gear. Will the PMG Pre sound good with the Direct Stream DAC, or will the BHK Signature Pre sound good with the PMG 512 DAC? Each series has a different voice, will they be compatible, harmonize and play well together?
I wonder if the new PMG sound effected Jay’s video description, and why comments about the PMG series have been scarce in comparison to previous equipment releases. I wonder if long time PS Audio customers like me are still trying to digest the new sound. It’s a departure from the sound we have obviously cherished and come to expect over the years.
An interesting summary of your experiences with the line.
he is probably not used to the complete silence and absolute dark background - astounded me when I switched from all McIntosh tbh.
That is an amazing talent.
My landscaper can do this.
This is an interesting point. Perhaps this will be explored more as the ownership base of PMG components continues to grow. As of right now I haven’t noticed this “house sound”.
As a fun aside to this convo, we listened to a customer’s mid-1970s McIntosh MC2105 amp over this past weekend since he’s looking to sell. We let it warm up overnight just because. We listened the next day, and while the sound was better than the usual mass-market stuff we see folks trying to sell in our local market, it had the same noise and background you describe. With the caveats of its age and having never been serviced, it has the same noise and background as other McIntosh gear I’ve heard of the same vintage that has been serviced. The liveliness, punch. and general sound of this particular amp is good, but the overall sound was fatiguing.
I had an all-PSA system not too long ago, and I sold all my BAT system that cost more than double for it. At the time I thought PSA system sounded more neutral and even-balanced (BAT had the better midrange and depth but faded on frequency extremes). I did not feel there was any “character” from PSA sound.
I still own PST and DS MK2, but I do not listen to discs often. My main system only has PSA FR30 speakers, and the rest includes Grimm MU2, Gryphon D333, and PZ. Everything sounds better, but I do not feel there is much change on the “house” sound. It is more like the background noise is totally gone. If anything, PSA system sounded a bit warmer and less defined. But it could be due to many other factors.
PMG line will more likely take care of their weakest area from the past (background noise) and bring PSA to the next level.
I believe some of their listeners are so enthralled with the meters they stop listening.
For a very brief moment D’Agostino amps came to mind.
That hypnotic blue glow! 
All this time I thought it was Cherenkov Radiation.
Surprisingly little discussion here on the forum about the sound quality of the PMG series.
Still curious to hear what others think!
There is a separate thread for the pre. Rave reviews.
only 25 units of the DAC went out. Mine one of them. When I had it going it really was good. I mean really good. But alas it needs some fixes and roon certification on the streamer side. The DAC side is very good but w my eversolo feeding it via usb it’s not as good. I am working with support on issues. They said they thought it may be the sync issue they are working on.